Top 10 reasons why Key’s visiting New York
10. I got lost on my way to Afghanistaniania. 9. It’s much more fun than running the country. 8. Textes from Kevin Taylor […]
Trippin’
How’s this for some positive spin? Australia is coming off worse in the battle for trans-Tasman tourism, with New Zealand reporting a record […]
Minority Report
National is attempting to re-write the Emissions Trading Scheme. The new version it has come up with through the special select committee would be weaker […]
Who do you think you’re fooling, Kate?
“I’m not going to resign” – Kate Wilkinson It’s one of the truisms of politics that when you’re a minister and you say […]
Labour finally on board?
I was shocked but not surprised to hear that National are considering opening our National Parks up for mining. At the same time, […]
100% Pure Opencast
This must be Minister of Tourism John Key’s idea of a sick joke. Letting Gerry Brownlee run rampant and declare NZ National Parks […]
Transport: on the wrong track
The government’s 3-year transport spending plan is out. Where’s all the cash going? Surprise, surpise it’s state highways. We’re going to spend $1.5 […]
Reaching out to the ‘No’ vote
I must confess that Key’s position on the repeal of s59 has puzzled me from the moment he started cooperating with the Labour […]
Collins’ smear backfires
Excellent piece by Patrick Gower in the Herald today on Judith Collins’ attempt to smear Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon. Collins has leaked […]
Contract and converge
There’s a limited amount of carbon emissions we can make as a world in the coming decades if we are to avoid runaway […]
S59, an opening for Winston?
In 2007, 113 MPs voted for the Bradford amendment to s59 of the Crime Act. Eight voted against it. One of them was […]
Apply the brakes, before it’s too late
The real estate agencies and the newspapers, both of which have an interest in a booming property market, are predicting that housing prices will surge […]
NDU catches govt lying
This morning the National Distribution Union put out a statement saying the Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson, had refused to attend an executive […]
Basher bill puts pressure on Key
John Boscawen’s private members’ bill to amend s59 of the Crimes Act has been drawn from the ballot. Essentially it would take us […]
Hoist with his own petard
Last week, Tony Ryall used his time in the big chair for, surprise, surprise, a little preening. He decided to take credit for […]
Beating lobby loses the plot
Beating lobby spokesman Larry Baldock appears to be losing the plot now that it’s dawned on him that his gaming of the smacking […]
Rodney and John roger Rodney
Maori seats? Who cares eh? If democratic process is ignored to override the Maori, who cares? But what if it’s some nice Pakeha? […]
It’s not OK, resign
The judgment in the case of ‘high-profile political figure’ involved in a domestic violence dispute has come back. Cameron Slater has published parts […]
If you believe in it, put something on the line
It’s a strange day when you’re praising Tau Henare. But at least he’s standing up for Maori seats, unlike the pathetic display from […]
Our Political Blogosphere
Denis Welch educating the broader public about the New Zealand political blogosphere on RNZ’s 9 to Noon today with Lynn Freeman. A pretty fair […]
The smiling snake bites
The Herald editorial is pretty scathing of Key’s Government for rejecting Maori seats on the super-council but I have to take issue with […]
Stopping family violence: must do better
Shocking to see these figures: Almost a third of Kiwi women and one in five men will experience violence and abuse at the […]
Snake oil
I’m surprised that the Maori Party have rolled over so easily on the issue of Maori seats on the Auckland council. I will […]
Healthcare – need or wealth?
I don’t know if you’ve been following the healthcare debate in the States. Obama’s trying to bring in a plan that gets their […]
Don’t look for help from the bosses’ party
Red Alert continues to get better and better. Beaumont’s latest is one of those powerful stories that deserves to be told, and Red […]
Drinking Liberally Wgtn – Thursday
Drinking Liberally is taking place again in Wellington this Thursday with guest David Shearer. He’ll be talking about his experiences overseas and on […]
Ultra-fast broadband? Eventually, but not now
For what seems like the fiftieth time, we’re being told to expect an announcement from Steven Joyce on the shape of the Government’s […]
Want local democracy? Too bad
Remember when John Key and Rodney Hide were saying that nothing was decided on the super-city, that the select committee would listen […]
Time for Key to show some backbone
John Key thinks there’s no need to change the law in the wake of the smacking referendum, but he does think there’s a […]
Fisking Farrar
I don’t know what it is about the word “Labour” that the right finds so hard to understand. David Farrar has a piece […]
Herald calls win for Hide
The Herald has an exclusive claiming that National will go with ACT and reject the Maori Party over the issue of Maori seats […]
First they came for Spongebob
One of the most powerful conservative Christian fundamentalist groups in America is Focus on the Family. This group has an impressive organisation, income, […]
More than just a job
Recently, Bill English has been trying to make excuses for not doing anything about the spiralling numbers of unemployed. He says that the […]
Playing catch up?
In the 1980s and early 1990s, during the Right’s neoliberal economic revolution, New Zealand’s economic output per person stalled – growing just 0.01% per […]
Will Key go with Hide or Maori Party?
The issue of Maori seats on the supercity council has inevitably exposed the contradictions inherent in this government. The Maori party wants ’em. […]